


After a Long Day

by rosettared



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-08
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-28 15:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13906506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosettared/pseuds/rosettared
Summary: One of Marinette's favourite ways to end a rough day is for a certain black cat to pay her a little visit.





	After a Long Day

“You sure you don’t need me over?”

“Alya, I’m fine.”

“Mari, I’ll be there in, like, two seconds! You know I’d drop literally _everything_ to cry with you. Just say the word and I’ll be on my way!”

“Alya, please,” Marinette sighed into the phone. “Thank you so much for the offer, I really do appreciate it, but it’s late and we shouldn’t have your mom worry over the _both_ of us. I need some time to get over it.”

The other line went silent.

“Alya?”

“If you say so…”

She huffed in relief. “Thanks, Alya. For understanding.”

“Hey - I’m always here for you. Don’t forget that. You’re still up for lunch Saturday, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’ll see you Saturday. Bye,” Marinette ended the call and set her cellphone atop the wooden bobbin-like table by her left. She relaxed into the beach chair and pulled the covers over herself. 

Marinette had a rough day, to say the least - from waking up two hours late, to the water shortage while showering, to accidentally tripping and getting her lunch all over herself (in front of Adrien, too!), to dealing with a horrid akuma who was a pain in the butt, and to getting caught in the storm after detransforming on the other side of the city. To top it all off, Chloe had gotten her in trouble for something she didn’t do - and ultimately, she received a three days’ suspension from school.

It was a quarter to one in the morning and Marinette still couldn’t sleep, no matter how hard she tried. She laid on her balcony, wrapped in blankets like a burrito, with a hot mug of cocoa and a plate of chocolate chip cookies on the table. She tried to let her worries drift away, following the lifeless withering leaves with the autumnal breeze. Her eyes were shut, and she took deep calming breaths, taking her time to breath out the stress that had built up over the course of the day.

 _Finally,_ she thought. _Alone_.

Marinette could kick back, relax and enjoy her ‘me’ time.

 _Thump!_ She picked up the faint sound from behind her. She didn’t think much of it - it could have been anything, right? She wasn’t so sure. She might have completely disregarded it, had she not heard the lightest of footsteps slowly come her way.

_Right on time._

“Subtlety isn’t really your strongest suit, is it?” Marinette broke the silence, getting up and unwrapping herself to meet her guest. 

The lad clad in black before her sighed in defeat and kept his baton behind him. He held his hands by his sides, nervous, and offered her a weak smile. He stood a couple feet from her and waited until she gestured for him to come towards her. Chat Noir kept his distance as he moved to lean against the railing, but at least they were facing the other.

Marinette couldn’t deny him the treats on the table he pretended he didn’t want, so she pushed the plate towards him. Once she gave him the okay, Chat dug into the cookies, taking advantage of the very rare times he could enjoy such sugar-packed goods. She figured he was, for some reason, restrained from them and smiled that she satisfied his craving.

The two sat in silence as she watched him empty the plate. “I’m beginning to think you only ever visit me for the food, cat.” Marinette joked.

Chat shrugged. “Hey, whose fault is it that you spoil this kitty _meow-ten_?”

She rolled her eyes. “Touche.”

Chat didn’t reply immediately. He released a deep breath she didn’t know he was holding, and met her eyes. “It’s just… things aren’t so good back home. I had to get away, and a late-night stroll always helps me clear my head.”

“And you ‘just happened’ to be in the neighbourhood?”

“That too,” he chuckled. “It’s been quite a crazy day for me,” _You’re telling me_. “I thought I just needed some time to myself, you know? And yet…”

Marinette stood up and took a step closer to Chat, anticipating the end of his sentence. She brought her hand up to hold onto his shoulder, and he responded in kind by bringing his hand to hers. “I’m always finding myself back here. With you,” Chat finished.

She didn’t utter a single syllable - what could she possibly say? Chat just admitted that her home was some sort of safe haven for him to run away to. She couldn’t just throw a laugh at the sentiment, nor did she find ‘thanks’ bring any justice. He _had_ been dropping by pretty often lately; what was going on in his head that she should be worrying about?

Instead, she took his hand in hers and led him towards the blankets. She reassembled them from the chair to the cold balcony floor, keeping her favourite one aside, into a padded mat big enough for three. She laid down on the layered blankets, pulling Chat down with her, and brought the other one over the both of them. Chat looked like he had so much to ask her, but chose to bite his tongue down.

When he felt Marinette’s head against his chest, he couldn’t take it anymore. “What are you doing?” He stayed perfectly still, not wanting to disturb her, and tried not to freak out. He could feel her breathing steady and her shoulders relax; his Princess looked totally at peace.

Marinette, knowing he didn’t want to cross any boundaries between them without her consent, lifted one of his arms and brought it around her waist. “We’ve both had it tough today, _chaton_. I figured this could help the both of us. Besides,” She looked up at him, her eyes absolutely gleaming under the moonlight, and Chat could see a little bit of mirth surfacing when she smiled. “Don’t you like my hugs?”

If Chat wasn’t red before, he was a downright tomato right now. He tried to avoid looking at her at the question hanging between them. “What? Don’t I like your - well, of course, but - I mean, don’t get me wrong - you give _the best_ hugs! Wait, what? No, that came out wrong - obviously, you’re Marinette, and everyone knows you - wait, where was I going with this?” Chat babbled through crooked teeth (or fangs, as he was), and his head wasn’t in it to answer properly.

Clearly amused, Marinette’s grin rivalled the one of the Cheshire Cat and she tugged on his arms around her. “Shut up and come here, Chat.” He followed suit and pulled her closer to him, bodies now flushed against each other, giving warmth on this chilly night. She could hear his heartbeat slow to a rhythmic pace, and he could smell the delicious scent of vanilla of her hair.

They still had tomorrow to worry about, but they wanted to live in the one good moment of the day for as long as they could. So there they stayed, snuggled up against each other on the balcony under the stars of early November, feeling all their troubles melt away, replaced by a new greater fondness of each other.

They wouldn’t have wanted their day to end any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> This was initially part of the ML Fluff Fiction thing, but I decided to leave it on its own. Hope you liked reading this! Also available on my tumblr, rosettared.


End file.
